Lawrence
Revsine, the John and Norma Darling Distinguished
Professor of Financial Accounting, died May 7 at the age
of 64. Professor Revsine was a longtime member of the
Kellogg School faculty and an honored teacher and researcher.

In
memoriam: Professor Lawrence Revsine

Respected
Kellogg School accounting scholar Professor Lawrence Revsine
died May 7 in Chicago. He was 64.

Recognized
by his colleagues and students as an outstanding professor
who could combine theory and practice to make accounting come
alive in the classroom or in his many publications, Revsine,
who was the John and Norma Darling Distinguished Professor
of Financial Accounting, is remembered for the passion and
expertise he brought to his discipline. With textbooks such
as Financial Reporting and Analysis, Revsine went behind
the numbers to reveal how they could be manipulated for various
ends.

"There
are all sorts of contracts, including bonuses, tied to those
numbers that are very important to managers," said Revsine
in a 2005 interview. As a result, there were opportunities
and incentives to manipulate the accounting rules so that
a firm's performance appeared stronger than it might be, rewarding
management in the process.

"Larry
had a deep understanding of the forces that shape accounting
practices," said Robert
Magee, the Keith I. DeLashmutt Distinguished Professor
of Accounting Information and Management, a longtime friend
and colleague. "He was sometimes dismayed by what he
saw because he cared deeply about the practice, not just the
theory, of accounting. He was an inspirational teacher who
prepared students for their careers, enabling them to be savvy
readers of accounting information."

That
passion was cultivated at Northwestern University where Revsine
earned three degrees, including an undergraduate business
degree in 1963, an MBA in 1965 and a doctorate in managerial
economics in 1968. After graduation, he taught accountancy
at the University of Illinois from 1968-1971. He returned
to Northwestern as a faculty member in 1971 and became a tenured
professor in the Graduate School of Management in 1975.

Revsine's
scholarship was balanced by his commitment to teaching, something
reflected in the many awards he won. He also served as member
of the Financial Accounting Standards Advisory Committee from
1980-1986, and was chair of the Kellogg Accounting Information
and Management Department from 1985-1993. His expertise contributed
to the editorial boards of several top journals.

In
addition to Financial Reporting and Analysis, Revsine
was the author or co-author of six other books and dozens
of articles and chapters.

"Larry
is a legend and a wonderful professor," said Bala
Balachandran, the J.L. Kellogg Distinguished Professor
of Accounting Information and Management. "The entire
financial accounting community has lost an inspirational scholar."
– Matt Golosinski